On April 28, 2023, FinU opened its doors to the heads of the Russian education system.
As part of the University 3.0 concept implementation, which consists in the active participation of the university in the life of society, a FinU sightseeing tour for heads of schools, secondary specialized and higher educational institutions, organized by the Center for Advanced Research and Development in the Field of Education, took place.
Directors of 58 schools from 35 regions from Moscow to the Tyumen region, including Donetsk, heads of colleges from 7 regions, heads of universities, as well as representatives of regional ministries of education came to get to know FinU best practices.
The introductory tour of the FinU began with welcoming the guests and presenting the history, mission and values of the FinU. Then, in a short time, more than 80 guests learnt more about the origins of the financial system and looked into the new future of the education system.
The FinU Museum has long ceased to be a repository of antiques, its active use in the educational process, accessibility to the outside world, including for young people, secures it the status of a new type of museum, with interactive exhibits and expositions, allowing modern methods and the best Russian traditions of conducting excursions to deeply surprise, enlighten and win the hearts of visitors.
Thanks to the brilliant work of the museum guide Artur Durybichev, the heads of schools and universities could change the entrenched views on the methodology of the museum, felt awe and amazement, being next to the experiences of other generations and artifacts of the financial world. The FinU Museum not only carefully preserves and shares history, gives an opportunity to study various banknotes and currencies that are used in different countries in different historical periods, but also helps to realize the realities and prospects that exist around us.
From the world of finance history, the heads of educational organizations have moved to the Cyberhub Center, where VR/AR technologies are being introduced into education and science of the FinU.
The Director of the Center, Grigory Ivanov, introduced the guests to advanced technologies and virtual reality tools that allow them to learn the latest trends in finance, economics, political science, sociology, etc., as well as try out various professional models and strategies. Many have managed to experience for themselves that virtual technologies allow creating full-fledged three-dimensional models of the material being studied, provide visibility, high involvement, focus on the subject being studied, provide a full effect of presence and sharpen the work of the senses. It is precisely such technologies that make it possible to effectively revitalize the education system, increase motivation for professional development.
The guests were interested not only in the pedagogical aspects of the use of VR/AR technologies in the educational process, methodological techniques and techniques of application, but also in management features, such as the equipment cost, service capabilities, technology of modeling and development of educational materials at FinU.
In the final part, the guests moved from the world of virtuality to the “Open World” of fiction and wonders of the FinU Lyceum.
The pre-university turned out to be the most anticipated part of the tour. The guests were met by the Lyceum director Irina Sivtsova, introduced to the best teachers, who immersed them in an innovative format of conducting training sessions. In a short time, principals of schools, colleges, university rectors, managed to visit Hogwarts, the Tretyakov Gallery, a snow-covered New Year’s Eve village, watched the work of clockwork mechanisms from the inside, and all this, thanks to a specially equipped audience, work on which took three long years.
The guests were interested in a wide variety of issues, from catering for college students, ending with the prospects of admission to various universities. Irina Sivtsova openly answered such numerous questions: how is the training of lyceum students? In what areas are they trained? How difficult is it to enter and study? What is the number of students? How deeply are biology, chemistry, and physics studied? From which regions of Russia come to study at the lyceum, are dormitories provided for such lyceum students? How are they helped to adapt? How do technical conditions and equipment help in the educational process (both students and teachers)? What are the forms of cooperation between schools and universities? How to join such a consortium?
The last introductory tour of the FinU was successful, the guests communicated with industry experts, asked questions about the future of finance and economics, received an overview of academic programs from Nikita Ovchinnikov, head of the Department for Work with Customers of Educational Services and immersed themselves in the work of such diverse departments as the Museum, Lyceum and Cyberhub.
In conclusion, the guests expressed their sincere gratitude, as they were impressed by the University scale, openness and willingness to cooperate, and exchange of best practices, which FinU is famous for.
